Sunrise

I blew a setting on my camera (I left the ISO at 800 from another day) so the shot came out grainy. Anyway, this is what the rest of you missed this morning.

FYI-RBR On-line Survey

Stopping at stop signs and red lights.

More than 3,800 RBR readers voted in our poll -- "When riding, what do you do at red lights and stop signs?" Others complained that we didn't differentiate between signs and lights. These riders offered various scenarios, some quite intricate, for when they stop and when they don't. Our thinking was that "stop" means stop. Either you do, or you keep rolling. If you don't stop, what's the frequency? The poll came out this way: ---I always stop: 24%---I usually stop: 54%---I occasionally stop: 19%---I almost never stop: 4%

QUACS -

Quality Consulting Services

call: for thoughtful and discreet consultation

It Pays to Advertise - hmm but Maybe Not Here

Dual Use Helmet

see more Fail Blog

Announcing - WGAS Lite

Less frustration - Less Speed

Here it is. Stop whining - set your sights low. WGAS Lite let's you enjoy an early morning rendezvous with the ton & coffee at Starbucks in a competitive yet less stressful way.

You start by meeting all your friends then simply sacrifice some calorie burn by bonking on the Church Hill & Russian & cutting a couple miles off the route so you can meet the boys for some hot Joe. On a really fast day you can also relax a bit heading south as you watch the groupo hit 27+ heading towards plaza.

You don't miss much; BT is listening to tunes & can't hear you, Greenie won't sweat on you, & it's better for the psyche not trying to compete with Chippo, Pablo, AC or Ellman....Trust me it's all good.

One rule - NO WHINING!

Tips

Just got pointed to 10 Quick Tips at the Cycling Tips Blog. They're all good. My favorite is #5. It's one that our group seems to break constantly. "Start a ride slow, finish a ride fast. This will make for a much better quality ride and simulates what happens in a race."

Last Tuesday, we averaged 22 MPH on our ride froM HP to Wilmette. On the return trip, I checked, and it had dropped to 21.3. At my level of fitness, a 22 average is not a warm up. Let the flames in the comments begin.

Caption Contest #2

Friendly's is an ice cream shop that was a popular hang out when I was in High School. A friend of mine just went back for his 30th reunion and snapped this photo of their current menu. Thoughts?

WTF was that?

Be a Sharp Lookout for Your Group

Besides setting the right tempo, the lead rider in a paceline or pack has another vital responsibility: warning those behind of dangers in the road.

For riders who are drafting, potholes and debris are hard to see. They shouldn't need to worry about being led into danger.

But some people overdo their warnings. They yell "Pothole!" "Rock!" or "Dead skunk!" at full volume or even for minor obstacles. Others point at the object with such a violent gesture that they swerve dangerously.

Here's a better way to be the eyes of a paceline:
Alertly scan the road. You can't warn of dangers that you daydream out of existence. And if through inattention you spot something too late, your after-the-fact warning may do more harm than good. Surprised riders could veer in a panic, touch wheels and crash. So pay attention and look far enough ahead to smoothly lead the line past each hazard.
Point, don't shout. There's usually no need to call out the name of the obstacle. Your yell probably won't be understood by riders toward the back, anyway. Simply remove one hand from the bar and point down toward the side where the danger will be when you pass it. (Point down at about 45 degrees, not out, so the warning isn't mistaken for a turn signal.) Do this 5-10 seconds in advance, then move over smoothly.
A related technique is to tap the saddle or snap fingers with the hand that's coming off the bar, then point. The sound is just enough to wake up the rider behind.

Tip! One time a yell is helpful is when nasty stuff like glass, gravel, sand or ice covers the lane, like part way through a corner, and there is no way around it. As soon as you realize the predicament, call out the hazard so riders behind can fend for themselves. Same goes when you spot a dog up the road.

Potholes and such

If you aren't ready to try jumping over obstacles, you can lighten the impact by unweighting the bike so you don't hit so hard. As the pothole approaches, stop pedaling, hold the crankarms horizontal, and rise slightly off the saddle. Support your weight evenly on hands and feet. Relax your knees and elbows. Keep your head up. Have you played basketball? This is the defensive stance. Be like a cat -- light on your feet and ready for action. Then use this bike-handling technique: Just before the front wheel reaches the pothole, crouch deeper and then rise up to unweight the bike. You don't have to hop if you're inexperienced or afraid. A well-timed upward pull with your hands and feet will lighten the wheels equally and lessen the impact.

Timing is everything. Practice to develop a feel for it. Don't start with real potholes. Use cracks or seams that aren't going to be a problem. Keep trying and soon you'll get the knack. This technique works best with small potholes and other imperfections in the pavement.

Now, what if the pothole is big? You'll probably get the front wheel over safely but bang the rear tire on the sharp lip. This can cause a pinch flat like you experienced, with the tube being popped between the tire and rim.

That's why jumping your bike over a pothole can be better in terms of wheel protection. Jumping means your wheels never touch a pothole's sharp edge. The trick is to assume the position just described but increase the upward lift so both wheels leave the road simultaneously. Your speed then carries you over the danger.

Jumping is rarely necessary, though. And unless it's done correctly it can damage equipment (or cause a fall) as surely as riding into an obstacle.

The landing is as important as the take-off for avoiding wheel damage. Flex your knees so they absorb the shock of wheels coming back to pavement. Practice this move on a grassy field by jumping over something soft like a rolled-up towel before you try it on the road.

Some roadies fly over potholes or railroad tracks just for the fun of being airborne. But jumping is a tool to use in critical circumstances, not for a cheap thrill.

Caption Contest

Enter your caption in the comments.

Quench That Thirst

Bicycling Magazine online has a nice article about hydration myths and reality written by Monique Ryan. It's presented in that stupid slide show format, but the information is top notch. And now, a quick test. Which of these is not true:

1) Ideally, you should weigh yourself before and after each ride to make sure you replaced every lost ounce of fluid on the ride.

2) Caffeine lowers your rate of perceived exertion while improving your strength, endurance and mental performance.

3) Trained cyclists' performance is about the same whether they drink carbohydrate-only beverages or carbohydrate-protein beverages.

From the WGaS Mussette

WGaS Couples Nite

Margaret and Pablo deserve tremendous kudos for taking on the challenge of coordinating and hosting the evening-----

All who were present can attest to the fact that the evening was an overwhelming success----
The food and drinks were amazing, the conversation stimulating and it was great meeting the significant others who joined us--------

When in the Presence........

from the WGaS Bylaws:

000.001-Rider conduct when spouses, significant others, children or other relatives or friends of the aforementioned are present:

(a)Conversation regarding any of the following: cost of, current ownership of, purchases of, future ownership of , potential ownership of, interest in ownership of , lusting for possession of: bikes, bike-related equipment, bike accessories or other such items shall not be discussed in any manner or fashion in the presence of any of the above for any reason

(b) Statements of any kind which could be perceived to praise the spouse or significant other while disparaging the WGaS member is forbidden- examples would be: "How have you put up with him for so many years" or "I can't believe you let him ride so often".

WGaS members violating this prohibition shall be relegated, sanctioned and disciplined in accordance with the opinion of a Board of Inquiry comprised of no less than one (1) WGaS member

Evanston Grand Prix

iPhone Apps for Cyclists

Via Cyclelicious, here is a link to 5 apps for your iPhone (some work with iPod Touch) that replace various cycling add-ons.

2009 Evanston Grand Prix-Masters 40+

Good Article from BKW

Good Article on how much time cycling takes up and why we do it ...

http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2009/07/time-management.html

Lemon-ade Law

from the WGaS Bylaws

539.000-Lemon-ade Law

The peloton shall without fail stop at any and all curbside lemonade stands manned by children and purchase lemonade in ample amounts to produce oohs and aahs from the operator(s) of the stand.

When a lemonade stand is observed there shall be a sharp and loud announcement of the stands sighting and then the group shall slow down in a safe and orderly fashion and proceed to the stand for purchase of the drinks.

Newest Members of the Peloton?

Just wanted to share some video of the some potential new riders to the 'ton.

http://www.veloist.com/video/big-dreams-for-a-little-boy

and

http://www.veloist.com/video/williams-first-ride-51009


Pablo & sons

Guest and Uninvited Riders

FYI: from the WGaS Bylaws:

410.000-non WGaS riders who join into the paceline

410.001- guest riders invited by a member-are the responsibility of the WGaS rider who invites said guest
1) guest riders shall be relegated to the back of the paceline and not rotate through until they have been determined to be able to safely do so;
2) in the event a guest rider is "dropped" during the ride it is the responsibility of the WGaS rider who invited the guest to go back for him/her and bring him/her back up-if so desired;
3)in the event a guest rider is deemed unsafe for any reason that determination shall be presented to the WGaS rider who invited the guest and that shall be relayed to the guest and the guest will not be welcome to ride with the group-this is a unilateral decision and there are no appeal rights and the decision is binding and final unless three (3) WGaS Board Members step forward and speak on that former guest's behalf after a reasonable period of expulsion has passed

410.002-non-invited riders who join the group without an invitation by a WGaS rider shall be informed that they must ride as the last rider in the paceline and are not to rotate through until the group has determined that the rider is capable of safely doing so. If said rider is deemed to be unsafe or for other reasons unwanted in the group he shall be promptly told in an appropriate manner that the group does not welcome his/her presence and to fall off the back and not rejoin the paceline.

Weekend Spectacular

I must say that Saturday's ride and Starbucks interlude, in my humble opinion, rate up at the top for our group---
The pace was jizzy fast-yet safe-the group was large enough to allow for breathers when off of the front-except on our guest rider Tyler's 33mph+ pull out of HP toward Everett where no one caught a breath-and the jovial coffee time was a blast
Hopefully, we'll have many more similar rides this season and beyond

Improve Your Sprint

If you hear me cursing as we sprint to the top of "the russian", it is because I just learned that using profanity allows the swearer to tolerate pain better.

Another Fast Tuesday

Yesterday was another fast Tuesday ride. In fact, by the time we hit the Fort, my cyclometer showed the fastest average speed I have ever recorded for a weekday ride, 22 MPH. At the roundabout, there was some confusion and we reduced speed to regroup on the way to coffee. Even with this, I still showed an average of nearly 21.5 MPH at coffee.

It was great to have such a large group out and all in our "team" kits. I would have taken a picture or two, but I was drafting for dear life and fumbling with a camera didn't seem like a good idea. BT wants me to get a helmet cam, but I just know that without being able to see the display, I would wind up with plenty of pictures of the road and the sky. I have been thinking of rigging a mount for the camera on the handlebars, but the lovely rutted roads we ride on would probably destroy that too. For now, it seems like I'm gonna have to stick with hand held shots like this one from last Friday.

Beautiful Tuesday Morning!

A beautiful morning for a "tangy tuesday" (AB's words) ride. I think I had one of the highest averages I have had on a WGaS ride at 21.5 mph for 28+ miles.

Sorry I missed coffee - as I had an early phone conference.

On a separate note - today Eric was scheduled for back surgery - we all wish him well - I think he will try to update us when he is done/home.

See you tomorrow - weather permitting?


Pablo

Our Motto

From Gaping Void Gallery.

Saturday Ride Photos

I took about 20 pictures this morning. About 10 were worth saving. I have enough pictures of the paceline from the rear. Although those usually have a nice artful quality to them, it is nice to get a couple of shots of people's faces for a change.



Though I did like this paceline shot:

Saturday Ride Report

A beautiful Summer morning for a bike ride. We had a large group - my count was 14 - 1A12, Big John, Pat Kent (did you see the fold marks on that new uniform?), Frankie, Tucci, Fast Freddie, AC, Whiskey Mike, AB, BT, Greenie, Moots, Chippo and myself. Did I miss anyone?

Nice route - good pace - sorry about not having the route clearer at the beginning of the ride.

Overall stats for me - 75 miles ~ 20.6 mph avg.

Good to see 1A12, Pat and Whiskey Mike out there today. Mike - BT will let you know the fine for wearing a non-WGaS shirt with WGaS shorts (even if you did do an ironman and have a shirt to prove it) The fine is in a confidential section of the By-Laws.

See you all next week!

Pablo

FYI

exerpt from the WGaS By-Laws

Section 230-Paceline Protocol

230.01-it shall be expressly prohibited to use the right side gutter to encroach, pass or in any other means impede other riders

230.02-it shall be expressly prohibited to use improper, exaggerated, or otherwise bizarre hand signals for turns, stops, road hazards

230.02(a)-riders in the #1 pull position should lead the paceline away from road hazards (ie: potholes, glass, etc.) precluding the need for verbal or hand alerts
230.02(b)-when verbal or hand signals are indicated they should be simple and specific

230.03-it shall be expressly prohibited for a rider who is not familaiar with the planned route to stay in a #1 position for a pull; in such a situation the rider shall relinquish his pull to the next rider

230.04-all riders shall signal clearly using an elbow "wag" of their intention to give up a pull-the choice of left or right will indicate the side that the rider wishes to be passed on-right elbow=right side/left elbow=left side

230.05-if a rider is unable to maintain the pace speed upon acquiring the #1 pull position, that rider should immediately signal and relinquish the pull

Sanctions:

First Violation-warning
Second Violation-stern warning
Third Violation-Banishment from the WGaS Peloton

Hot Fun in the Summertime.....

Well Summer came in with a hot blast on Sunday after a last slap of a crappy non-spring like Spring on Saturday------

Tuesday and Wednesday saw great rides with 14 riders on Monday and 13 Tuesday--both days were quite spirited --

Looking forward to a long ride filled season with continued great attendance

BT

Horribly Hilly Hundreds

1Adam12, Bob and yours truly did the Horribly Hilly Hundreds ride yesterday. It was a perfect day for a ride. Sunny, warm and beautiful scenery. And then the climbing began. This was a ride of extremes. It seemed like we were either doing 6 MPH or 36 MPH. At one point, I hit 48 MPH, a new personal best. The climbs were long and steep. How steep? Like climbing up from the Park Avenue beach for a mile or two.

So how'd we do? Did we finish in record time? No. I won't bore you with all the details here (I'll save that for coffee one morning), but Bob and I wound up calling it a day after 103 miles, taking the short cut to the finish after rest stop #4. Adam pushed on solo and finished the ride (what a stud!)

Here we are happy at the top of the first big climb.

Put This in Your Calendar

Come to a meeting of the Highland Park Traffic Commission on July 22, at 6:30 pm. Lina Hoffman from
The Active Transportation Alliance (formerly The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) will be making a
presentation on Complete Streets. The goal is for the Traffic Commission to begin taking all users
(including pedestrians and cyclists) into consideration when making decisions that impact the roadways
in Highland Park. We need to have strong representation here.

The meeting will be at Highland Park City Hall, 1707 St. Johns Avenue.

Crossposted from my other blog.

Sometimes We Do Give a Sh!t

John Culligan Olin

John Culligan Olin was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota October 17, 1957 and died suddenly in Highland Park, Illinois June 9, 2009. John was the father of two children, Cecilia (15) and Caroline (13). Sharing the loss are Elinor Olin (née Nichols), his mother Molly Johanna Culligan, his brothers Tony and Brendan, and Mimi Noonan, and Reilly Grant. He was preceded in death by his sister Meghan and his father John Philip Olin. He was the owner of Higher Gear Bicycles in Wilmette and Highland Park. John touched many lives as a cyclist, windsurfer, skier and the organizer of many community gatherings, including formal and informal fundraising events. John was honored as a Local Hero by the American Red Cross for the lifesaving donation of his kidney to Jeff Miller in 2002. A Mass of Remembrance will be celebrated on Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 11:15 a.m., Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, 1775 Grove Street, Glenview, IL 60025. A memorial celebration of John's life in Minnesota will be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Olin Girls Educational Fund or to the National Kidney Foundation. For more information, please contact N.H. Scott & Hanekamp Funeral Home at 847-998-1020.

Today's Ride

A great ride this morning. This is how it ended.

Memorial Day 2009-

Once again there was a fine turnout for the annual ride to the Ft Sheridan Cemetary. It is always a special ride for us because of the opportunity to honor those who have served, as well as specifically pay respects to my wife's Uncle Ernest Blackmon who served in Vietnam and is buried there.

BT

Help A Fellow Cyclist In Her Fight Against Cancer

This is worth reposting from Ride-Strong.

Colleen Whealdon-Haught is a cyclist fighting metastatic breast cancer. Read her story and help her out if you can.

Morning Ride

My 2000 word post...

BT at the Velodrome

Start of his first track race of the year.

Opening Night at the Track 2009

Levi Says...

...that going 70 MPH on a bike is, well, a bit risky.

In Case You Don't Feel Like Riding Tomorrow...

Last AZ Update

Last riding day for Fast Freddie and me .... Gates Pass - short and steep!

Another AZ Update

Took it easy today with a 50 miler through Saguora National Park East and then home via Pistol Hill. Winds and temps were kicking up by the end of the ride.

AZ Update

Beautiful day to climb Mt. Lemmon - 6300 feet of climbing.

Safety Film

From 1963. 

Recognize the narrator's voice?

Wikipedia has a surprisingly detailed entry for this film.

Spring has Sprung?

Although the weather is not truly spring-like, we had a nice group today-
I counted 15 riders-and a rather spirited pace at that

Pablo and AC were impressive on their accelerations which temporarily split the group into 3 after the Russian----

Hopefully we will continue to have such impressive and challenging rides-

BT

Equipment Lust on a Rainy Day

13 lbs.? I think SG's beeper just went off (now if he only knew where it was and how to shut it down).

The Delta 7 Arantix Ascend Road Bike. Fritz rode this and wrote about it here. You might say that lately, he's become some kind of an Oracle about these things.

Great Ride Today!!

Spring is finally in the air! No thermal wear today as a nice group started out around 8:00. Frank, Tucci, Fast Freddie, Barb, Bob G and myself headed South and picked up Eric, Greenie, Lou and the Captain - and yes, according to Peleton Rule #68, we turned around heading back up to HP. Tucci had to go to work, the Captain had to head back home after the Fort and the rest of us headed off to ride the Cemetary loop - stopping for coffee in LF.

I had 50+ miles at 20.0 mph - not too shabby for April!!!

Pablo

Housecleaning

I'm changing some of the content of the blog to make it more useful and because I can. I am removing all links to mapmyride because they are now putting in popup ads that overlay the map and make it difficult to use. If you pay for a premium membership (about $30 per year) the ads go away. Gmap works just as well and they are free so they get my vote.

Persistent Sore Muscles?

Maybe it's a lack of Vitamin D.

If your muscles feel sore or you keep on being injured when you exercise, get a blood test called D3. If it is below 75 nmol/L, your problems may be caused by lack of vitamin D and be cured by getting some sunshine or taking at least 2000 IU each day of the very inexpensive vitamin D3.

Or, it just might be that the group you ride with never takes an easy day.

Cartoonizer

A Peloton memory from the 2006 Bike the Drive modified by BeFunky:

Happy Birthday to Fast Freddie!

Please wish Fast Freddie aka the wrocket a Happy Birthday this Sunday.

We all look forward to next week and the peleton's return after Spring Break (and injuries for some).

Pablo

'08 Sherman Park Crit Aftermath

Fun on an Rainy Day

Morning Ride

At least the day started off pleasantly...

Legs

Which WGaS rider do these legs belong to?
























Yeah. Right.

More pictures like this and including this one here.

Lance on Twitter

This is a sampling of Lance's actual Twitters since his fall during the Vuelta a Castilla y León. You can follow Lance on Twitter here. Of course, you might find the image of Lance Tweeting "left-handed" disturbing for some reason.

VeloNews reports an expected 8-12 week recovery for him.

WGaS at Red Rock Canyon-Las Vegas

BT

and

Dennis O'Keefe

Writer's Block

Take Care of Your Bike

Carbon carnage from the blog, Busted Carbon:



















They have more if you aren't squeamish.

Pot Holes

Highland Park has an online pot hole report form. This is only for Highland Park streets.

At Least I Didn't Do This

Getting dropped in a spring ride is bad enough. but at least this wasn't the reason:


see more pwn and owned pictures

WGaS Tuesday

A splendid early Spring ride this morning-14 riders including a late arrival by AC to join AB, Fronque, Michael J Fox, Dr Rod, Chippo, Hatch, BFBT, Eager Eric, Rabid Rob, Greenie, Pablo, El Libro Grande, and myself. Some decent accelerations off the front which caused a couple braks in the back of the group. The roads remain treachorous with potholes. I came home with a broken spoke this morning as the result of a pothole encounter. Wednesday looks to be ride-friendly once again....

Great Ride today!

Huge group >15 sorry in advance if I forget anyone. AB, Frank, Greenie, BT, Chippo, Eric, Rob, AC, John, Jeff, Pat, Bill, Lou, Wiskey Mike, Marc, Tucci the Professional and myself. I had over 55 miles - definitely better than the trainer.

Hope to see you out this week.

Pablo

Road Work

According to my just-delivered copy of the Pioneer Press, the following stretches of crappy roads are due for resurfacing:
Green Bay Road from Lake-Cook to Edgewood.
St. Johns from Lambert Tree to Roger Williams.

Work is scheduled to start in May and be completed by the end of July.

Thank you, Highland Park City Council and us taxpayers.

(cross posted from my other blog).

If we can't ride...

...we can read...and dream...

Another Ride Missed

Monday @ 4:30 I grabbed what may be the only opportunity for a ride this week----apparently the rest of the WGaS gruppetto have jobs, families or hamentaschen to eat and therefore didn't ride--

Rainy Day Saturday

Tucci the Professional and I ventured out this morning for an extremely weather challenged ride

The rain was cold and plentiful---we provided quite the exhibition at the Port Clinton Starbucks as we poured water out of our boots, wrung out socks, gloves, liners and an assortment of other clothing items---leaving a large puddle of water covering half the seating area--luckily Slava happened to show up and provided a warmth to the morning

Needless to say, it was a unique morning.................

MIA

Just an FYI-I am pleased to report that despite concerns to the contrary, Moots is alive and well...... During my afternoon run in Harms Woods yesterday I encountered Mootsie riding on his mountain bike on the path north of Golf Road. He alleges that by April he will be rejoining our morning rides......BTW-also spotted Harold Berman of NCC riding the path

Wet Roads Call for a Full-fendered ride

March 6th presented itself with a seasonably warm morning with wet roads-clearly at least one of the WGaS riders was well prepared with the appropriately equipped bike for the day-----Again we had a nice size 'ton: AB, Greenie, Rabid Rob, 1 Adam 12, Michael J Fox, Doc Rod, Pablo, Fast Freddy, Tucci the Professional, and myself.

Surly Steamroller Inaugural Ride

Well the Steamroller Fixie made its debut ride this morning -although it was prepared for any weather condition-the weather was a pleasant 40F to start. It would seem that several individuals have crept out of their burrows after hibernating for the winter and grabbed their bikes-We had an amazing group of WGaS riders: AB, Greenie, Eager Eric, Rabid Rob, BFBT, Hatch, Dr. Rod, Michael J Fox, Pablo, Tucci the Professional and myself. It was mixture of road, 'cross, and the Fixie but nonetheless a rather spirited ride for the early season. Hope to see the rest of the 'ton out soon.......

Our New Ride

Based on the responses to my question about riding tomorrow morning,
I propose this as our new team bike:

Get Them on Video

From The Streets of Chicago, we get this video of a cyclist who was so tired of getting buzzed by
cars and having the police ignore his complaints that he did something about it.

Ride Surly Ride

BT's new foul weather fixie

Handmade Loveliness

A brief report from the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

A picture says a 1000 ahhhhhs

Try This on Your Next Ride

From RoadBikeRider.com

Stretch on Your Bike

Near the end of his long stage 4 breakaway with a pair of other riders in the Amgen Tour of California, Tyler Hamilton was seen using several on-bike stretches to loosen and reinvigorate fatiguing muscles. It helped, but not enough to prevent being gobbled up by the peloton a few minutes from the finish.

Muscles and joints can get tight in the typical 5-7-hour pro race. But you don't need to be a cash rider to benefit from stretching during several hours in the saddle.

With winter winding down and longer rides coming, let's see how to ease the tension when you're on the bike long enough to start feeling stiff and sore.

Here are 4 stretches that can easily be done during rides:
Calves. While standing, stop pedaling with one foot at the bottom, as if cornering. Put your weight on that foot and let the heel drop toward the road as far as possible. Hold for 10 seconds. Move your hips forward and arch to also stretch your low back. Then do the same with the other leg.
Quads. This is a rather advanced moved, so don't try it unless you have adequate bike-handling ability. While sitting, stop pedaling, unclip your right foot and bring it back toward your butt. Grab your ankle with your right hand and pull the foot up and back, stretching your quads. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat with the other leg. Grip the bar on top near the stem so these movements are less likely to affect bike control.
Shoulders. Sit up and hold the bar near the stem with your left hand. Extend your right arm up and back like you're pointing at a bird flying over. Stretch the shoulder girdle in this way for 10 seconds then do with the other arm.
Neck. Sit up, hold the bar near the stem with both hands and slowly turn your head fully to the left and then to the right. Try to touch your right ear to your right shoulder, then left to left. Tuck your chin to your chest and hold for several seconds.
Caution! These moves can easily make you veer off line. Check for traffic first. When all is clear, move to the center of the lane so you won't wobble off the road edge. And when riding with others, wait till you're at the very back of the group or paceline.

1986 TdF Memories

There is a wonderful interview at BKW with Andy Hampsten about the 1986 Tour and the
conflict between Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault. Read it for the memories and insights.
(h/t to Brian)

Vanderkitten Pro Cycling Team Founder-Elizabeth Keefe Hatch

Ahhh what cycling can do for your form.........

Get 'em while you can.......

Thursday morning was another ride friendly weather day-as a result there was a decent turnout of WGaS riders. Fronque, AB, el Libro Grande, Pablo, myself (BT) and an appearance by the temp service of BFBT, as well as a Jazzy Jeff passing in the morning mist. Starting temp was 35F with little wind so it felt warmer than yesterday even though a tad cooler.
The next three days look to be more iffy: highs of 29 lows of 15 and some flurries--perhaps a later in the day woods ride?

Wednesday AM Ride Report

Frank, Tucci, BT, Greenie and myself had a lovely morning ride - winds made the ride south a little tough but made coming back to get coffee a breeze! Wish more of you would have joined us - hopefully spring is around the corner???

Tomorrow

No excuses. Check your bike. Set your alarm. Get to bed early. See you on the road.

Take the survey

It's over there...on your left...at the top...yeah, that's it.

Department of Duh!

National Geographic News reports the results of a study done at Princeton University that found:

Sexy women in bikinis really do inspire some men to see them as objects, according to a new study of male behavior.

Brain scans revealed that when men are shown pictures of scantily clad women, the region of the brain associated with tool use lights up.

Which tool would that be?